Read Time: 05 minutes

The Supreme Court led bench comprising Hon’ble Chief Justice SA Bobde, Justice AS Bopanna & Justice V Ramasubramanian has appointed Shri Arun Bhardwaj & Shri Sanjay Bansal as a Special Judge in place of Mr Bharat Parshar to adjudicate the matters pertaining to coal block allocation scam. 

“We agree to the names suggested by the Registrar General of Delhi HC by letter Dated April 2, 2021. Appoints Shri Arun Bharadwaj and Shri Sanjay Bansal for Special Courts number 1 and 2, in their order of Seniority.”, CJI remarked. 

In the present matter, the Registrar General of Delhi High Court vide letter dated 03.02.2021 sought Court’s permission to nominate/post another suitable Officer as Special Judge in place of Mr Bharat Parashar, Special Judge who was appointed vide order dated July 25,2014  to deal and exclusively try the offences pertaining to coal block allocation matters under the Indian Penal Code, 1860, Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002 and other allied offences. 

The Court on 15.03.2021 directed the Chief Justice, Delhi High Court to give the Court a panel of names of about five judges of a high caliber and absolute integrity to enable the Bench to suggest an appropriate replacement for Mr. Bharat Parashar, Special Judge.

“We find that Mr. Bharat Parashar who has acted as a Special Judge (PC Act), (CBI)-07, Patiala House Court, New Delhi, needs to be replaced, as he has now completed more than 6 years in the same post after having been posted as Special Judge in the above mentioned court since 19.08.2014.”, the order dated 15.03.2021 stated. 

The full Judge Bench comprising the then Hon’ble Chief Justice RM Lodha, Justice Madan B Lokur & Justice Kurian Joseph of Supreme Court on August 25, 2014 declared that the allotment of coal blocks made by the Screening Committee of the Government of India, as also the allotments made through the Government dispensation route are arbitrary and illegal upon a petition filed by Common Cause an NGO including former cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian, former chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami in 2012 questioning the legality of allocation of coal blocks to private companies from 1993 onwards. 

Along with appointing Mr Bharat Parashar as a Special Judge, on July 25,2014, the Court also directed to transfer all the cases pending before different Courts in Delhi pertaining to coal block allocation matters to the Court of Special Judge.

Case Title: Manohar Lal Sharma v. The Principal Secretary & Ors | WP (Crl) 120 of 2012